A Friendly Reminder
by Jaina Durron
Summary: Nothing can turn Leia's day around like coming home to her husband. And thinking about their future family.


For hanleiasecretsanta's summer gift exchange on Tumblr. To my Giftee leiasleft bun! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it!

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At the moment, Leia was remembering a time when she had actually _enjoyed_ her work, but now that seemed so long ago. Now, she was tired, hungry, cranky. If the doctor were to decide that her work was too stressful, Leia would hand in her pass to Mothma and hurry back home in a heartbeat.

Yes, she had a home now, she remembered and actually smiled at that happy thought. It was nice to have a place to come to after every long and tedious day stuck in conference rooms trying to negotiate with the galaxy's most stubborn species: politicians. Of course, her new home was very nice but even nicer was the man who was always stretched out on the couch there waiting for her. Stars, she loved that man- and he loved her. And there was just something so wonderful about coming home to him every night. Maybe, it was that she'd been coming home to empty quarters for too long when she'd needed this kind of support. She'd needed something to _come back to._ Now she had that with Han, permanently, and so much more.

The turbolift took its time lifting her to the level of her and Han's quarters and Leia leaned against one wall, waiting. As had become some sort of habitual mannerism, she brought a hand up to rest over her belly. The bump was definitely there now; just a few months ago, she'd been able to hide it with a robe or coat if she wanted to trick the ever-constant holojournalists and relish the sight in private, but it wasn't that easy anymore. Her and Han's little package required more space than she had and the stretched skin of her belly was doing its best to compensate for it.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to get around while sporting her blooming belly, but it was a comforting sight and presence. These last few months had been tiring and stressful at work. Between numerous trips off-planet and away from home and snappy, stubborn politicians making outrageous demands of the burgeoning New Republic, Leia could hardly wait for her first day of maternity leave. With her hormones spiking at their own will, she hardly had the patience to deal with it all, but hardly a thing could soothe Leia, comfort her, brighten her day like a friendly reminder from her baby of what significant joy she had in her life. A single kick, a short moment of feeling the baby squirm around in her womb was all it took to turn her day around.

The lift came to a smooth stop and she took a right turn down the hall to the Solo quarters. She walked in, kicked her shoes off across the entryway, hardly caring where they landed, and went to the kitchen for a drink. "Han! I'm-"

"You're home!"

Han _looked_ pleasantly surprised when she met him near the living room, but he seemed so startled to see her.

" _Yeees._ Would you like me to go back?"

"No! No! Of course not!" He took her shoulders, shook his head, then embraced her.

"Oh-kay!"

"Sorry," Han muttered. "I'm just glad you're home."

Leia relaxed, nodding in agreement. "I am too." She shrugged off her coat and Han slipped around her to take and hang it. "How are you?" he asked, hurrying back to her as she wandered to the couch. "How did your big meeting with the Muuns go?"

"They're Muuns, Han. Naturally, they came to try and rob the New Republic of all our funds."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Han came to sit down with her, then flipped over and lied across the couch. "I was wondering why you were running late." He set his head in her lap and kissed her stomach. Leia chuckled and pulled up her dress for him. Han reached across her to trip the reclining switch on her seat and moved so he was just about lying on top of her.

"And to think I wasted three hours trying to negotiate with them." Leia sighed. "It was ridiculous, Han. I stayed late today and I still got nothing done."

"You're doing something, sweetheart. You might not see it now, but you're changing the galaxy. And I'm proud of you."

"I just wish that progress was easier to see. And that it didn't take so many days of accomplishing nothing." She paused. "Han, that is not what I pulled up my dress for."

"Are you _objecting?"_

"Han, I'm so tired."

"Come on. You can't be _that_ tired."

"Han." Leia grabbed a fistful of his hair and tugged.

" _Ow!"_

"I hardly even paid attention half the day. All I could think about was the baby."

Han stopped. "Well, that came out of nowhere."

Leia sighed, pushing his head away. "I'm afraid, alright?!" She pushed herself onto her feet and tried to make an escape but Han simply reached out, caught her by her hips and pulled her back into his arms. "Hey. Relax." He restrained her, holding her tightly but with a comforting grip. "Breathe, sweetheart. Easy. There we go." She relaxed in his firm hold, practically falling limp, only held up by him. He rocked her gently, swaying, giving her a new rhythm to focus on. "Now, what is all this about?"

Before she could respond, Leia had to take a moment to wonder what on Coruscant was wrong with herself. She didn't throw sudden outbursts like this and she knew it was uncharacteristic of her, but at the same time she knew it had been a matter of time before her buried fears and frantic hormones caught up to her. She gripped the arm Han had wrapped across her chest with both hands while she asked, "Aren't you scared?"

"About the baby?" It sounded like he laughed.

"Oh, don't say it's just me!"

Something clicked for Han as he began to understand what was really happening. Nearly dumbfounded, Han asked, "Work wasn't that bad today, was it? This is all about the baby."

"It was all I could think about! But work was still awful!" she growled. Glimpsing as her husband, she glared as she caught him trying not to laugh.

"It's alright. What part are you scared about?"

"All of it!" She turned in his arms to look at him. "I don't know what we were thinking! Han, there's still so much to prepare before the baby arrives. And when the baby is here-! Han, it's so much! Kriff! I don't think I'm ready for any of it. I can't even handle it _now_ and the baby's not here yet!"

"Leia, don't say that."

"Have you thought about it? I mean, _really_ thought about it. This whole parent thing and having a little, mini human who will be completely reliant on us!"

"I think you need some sleep. It's not like you to have a meltdown like this."

"I couldn't sleep if I wanted to. Aren't you even the least bit worried?"

Han actually laughed and shook his head. "I'm not worried at all," he told her as if it were so simple, smiling- _grinning_ \- at her.

"How not?"

"Because." He pulled her arms off of him, bringing them to wrap around her belly where their baby rested. "I remember when we decided that we wanted to have kids. You were so excited, you couldn't stop smiling. You were delirious, Leia. The _idea_ of having a baby was the light of your day. And when I saw you that excited, I knew, at that moment _I knew_ that you're going to be the greatest mother you can for our kids."

Leia stiffened slightly. "One at a time, flyboy. I am only prepared to think about _one_ kid at a time."

The smiling chuckle her husband responded with was just about enough reassurance on its own. His own unwavering faith in her eased her fears and she couldn't help but smile with him even as his smile vanished because his mouth was busy dancing across her belly. He pulled on her hips until he thought she was standing close enough and he pushed her dress out of his way. His lips were sure to leave a loving kiss on every inch of his wife's bulging belly. Leia wished she could kiss the swelling bump like Han always did, but it was impossible to bend like that, so she caressed it, stroked it as if her fingers were meeting the skin of her baby and not her own stretching belly. It was a comfort after such long, tedious days, when she needed to remember why she was doing this and what it was all about.

"Come here," Han beckoned her once he was finished showering her and the baby with kisses. He held out an arm to her and Leia took his hand. He surprised her when Leia's vision was blinded by his hand but Han kept a gentle hand on the small of her back. He asked her, "Trust me?"

"Always."

Leia allowed her husband to guide her around their apartment until he came to a stop. She waited for an explanation. "You're going to be an amazing mom, you know that?" Han assured her with a note of his own awe of her in his voice. Leia thought she felt the sting of tears just behind her eyelids. "You already are. I'm just trying to do my part as dad."

He removed his hand from her eyes and then Leia saw that they were in what would be the baby's nursery. And Han had her standing before half a crib and a smoothly carved and varnished rocking chair that hadn't been there when she'd left for work. Her breath escaped her at once. She whirled around to look at Han. "You made these?"

Han nodded, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "I thought Mommy deserved something special." He pointed to the crib. "I'm still working on this one but I've got time. I wanted to finish the chair first so you can start using it before the baby is even here. Why don't you try it out." Leia lowered herself into the chair and made it rock gently. "Imagine. After a long day at work, your feet hurt, the baby's driving you crazy- you can come home, sit in your nice chair and rock the baby with you."

She looked up to beam at him, her tears glassing over her eyes. "Oh, Han, I love it!"

"Yeah? Does it work well?"

"Han, it's perfect."

"I thought you'd like it."

Once again, Han was rolling up her dress. Leia rolled her eyes at him. "Han, will you just finally take it off of me and bring me to bed?"

Han grinned and carefully but quickly swept her into his arms. Leia gave a surprised yelp but chuckled at his wink. "I knew you weren't that tired."


End file.
